Last Updated on July 30, 2021
PLOT: During the early days of WW2, a career officer (Tom Hanks) working his first command struggles to protect an international convoy of Allied ships while being pursued by a wolfpack of German U-Boats.
REVIEW: GREYHOUND is a relatively modest WW2 tale. Based on the 1955 novel "The Good Shepherd" by C.S. Forester, in many ways this feels like a studio programmer from that era, running a scant ninety minutes (with credits) and telling a tight, contained story that's not trying to reinvent the war movie. In some ways, this is bound to be seen as a disappointment due solely to the fact that it stars Tom Hanks, whose last WW2 film, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, is one of the best ever made, while he also produced two epic WW2 HBO mini-series, "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific". GREYHOUND is not even remotely in the same league as those, but is a taut, efficient dramatization of WW2 Naval warfare through the lens of the "Battle of the Atlantic".
Virtually the entire film takes place on the destroyer Hanks is commanding, with the name "Greyhound" being the call sign for his ship, the USS Keeling. Directed by Aaron Schneider, who hasn't made anything since his underrated GET LOW back in 2009, this is clearly a passion project for Hanks, who also wrote the screenplay. Certainly, his character, Commander Krause, fits Hanks to a tee. Being noble, kind but also plagued with self-doubt, Krause is portrayed as devoutly religious. He does his duty but takes no pleasure in his work, refusing to celebrate early in the film when he sinks a U-Boat and mourning all those who die under his command.
There's very little in the way of exposition here, but you don't need any. We see in a brief scene early on that he's engaged to a woman back home (the always welcome Elisabeth Shue) and, even though he's a middle-aged career officer, this is not only his first command but also the first time he's seen combat. The younger men surrounding him are all veterans, although he's got a supportive second-in-command (Stephen Graham) that he's wise enough to listen to.
Hanks portrays Krause as highly capable despite his inexperience and self-doubt, but this is more of an action-driven movie than one that's character-driven. The entirety of the running time is devoted to the battle as Krause and his crew try to out-fox the various U-Boats while being taunted by their cruel commander over the radio. Earlier in his career, Hanks was often compared to James Stewart, and GREYHOUND very much feels like the kind of movie that golden age icon would have taken on later in his career.
It's a shame that GREYHOUND isn't getting a theatrical release, as the production values are top-notch, with some well-done CGI depicting Naval warfare in a way that we don't often see in A-quality war movies. Schneider keeps the pacing tight, with no melodramatic interludes to slow things down. Tragedies occur but we never dwell on them as, being in the midst of a battle, Krause and his crew have little time to grieve (although, given Krause's faith, time is found to give the fallen men a proper burial), and the film tries to convey how every second onboard the ship is life or death, with no margin for error.
The camera very rarely leaves Hanks' perspective throughout, meaning the supporting roles aren't especially meaty, although Graham is always memorable, and Rob Morgan, as the ship's cook, does a lot with his limited screentime. One thing worth singling out is the cinematography by Shelly Johnson, with vivid use of color. It seems like it's a tribute to the rich, technicolor hues of movies made in the era the source novel was published, and it makes the film gorgeous to look at. I imagine it'll look especially impressive in HDR when it starts streaming this weekend.
To enjoy GREYHOUND, one should keep their expectations in check. This isn't SAVING PRIVATE RYAN or "Band of Brothers", but it's still a very serviceable, well made WW2 programmer that features a typically rock-solid Tom Hanks performance. It's a strong acquisition by Apple TV+, even if you can really tell this was meant for a big theatrical rollout. It's a hint of things to come, with them on a big-budget buying frenzy lately. It's their first big-budget acquisition, but it won't be their last.
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